


The WiFi and the Washing Machine

by Laramie



Series: Housing [1]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Happy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 05:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4991764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laramie/pseuds/Laramie





	The WiFi and the Washing Machine

When Thomas came home from his tutorial, the house was empty. When one lived with four other people, this was a rare and slightly unnerving occurrence. Thomas, Jimmy, Daisy, Ivy and Alfred had started renting together at the beginning of this, their second, year of uni, having all made friends while living on the same corridor in Halls in first year. At the same time, three of them fell in love: Daisy and Alfred with each other, luckily, but Thomas with Jimmy; on his own.

Alfred had sneaked home for a week, so Thomas knew that he would not be there, but the others should be. There was always _someone_ sitting in the living room with the TV on.

Thomas trailed upstairs to drop his bag in his room, with a vague thought of hooking his laptop up to the TV to watch last night's _Doctor Who_. When he reached his bedroom, Thomas noticed that his bed had been stripped of it duvet and pillows. His first thought was that Ivy had finally cracked and thrown them all out of the window, but when he peeked into her bedroom he saw that her duvet and pillows were gone too. Wondering whether she had decided to wash them, Thomas checked the washing machine in the kitchen; it was empty. Daisy and Alfred shared the downstairs room; their duvet and pillows were also nowhere to be seen.

Barring the possibility of a very strange and specific burglary, there was only one explanation: Jimmy had taken them. Thomas marched upstairs to Jimmy's door, which was at the bend in the stairs, and had a sudden attack of nerves. He didn't want to look as though he was checking out Jimmy's bedroom while he wasn’t in, even if he had already looked in the others' rooms.

All the same, Thomas knocked quietly on the door and pushed it open. The action revealed the most impressive blanket fort he had ever laid eyes on. The desk chairs of everyone in the house had been used to hold up Daisy and Alfred's double duvet, which formed the back and part of the sides and top, while Ivy's duvet and Jimmy's own where draped over the front to almost enclose the space. There was a small opening in the front, through which Thomas could see that all of the cushions were laid out on the floor, and the corner of Thomas's navy blue duvet. Jimmy's hand came into view every couple of seconds, laying out a card in what seemed to be a game of solitaire.

After a moment, Jimmy's head appeared through the gap as he leaned forward. "Oh, hey Thomas," he said with a grin, pulling his noise-cancelling earphones out of his ears.

Thomas noticed with a shiver that his own duvet was around Jimmy's shoulders. He opened his mouth to ask what on earth Jimmy thought he was doing by stealing Thomas's duvet without even asking, and found himself saying: "Where is everyone?"

"The wifi's down. They can't fix it 'til tomorrow. Ivy's gone to a friend on her course to use their internet for her assignment, and Daisy's gone to have a go at the landlords about the washing machine."

"They've still not fixed it?"

"Nope." Jimmy sat back, his voice a little muffled as he said: "Come in."

"I am in," Thomas said uncomfortably. He still sometimes felt a little awkward about being on his own with Jimmy.

"No, in here, c'mon."

Thomas stepped over hesitantly, expecting Jimmy to tell him that he'd changed his mind or that Thomas had misunderstood; but he didn't. He crawled through the gap in the blankets, feeling a bit ridiculous (he was 21 years old, for god's sake), but with his heart pounding all the same because the blanket fort was pretty cramped with two people in it. Jimmy had also borrowed Ivy's solar-powered fairy lights and attached them to the duvets with a handful of clothes pegs.

"You've been busy," Thomas said, which was still not the admonishment he had planned. He shuffled in to sit next to Jimmy, leaning against the wall.

"The internet's been down for two hours - I got bored."

"Fair enough."

Jimmy narrowed his eyes slightly at Thomas, his pink tongue poking out to touch his own lips. "Guess we'll have to find our own means of entertainment."

Thomas started to say: "Like what?" but before he could finish speaking Jimmy had leaned forwards and stolen his words with a kiss. Instantly, Thomas's mind threw up a hundred questions, but for the moment he pushed them down and just concentrated on snogging Jimmy with as much enthusiasm as Jimmy was showing him.

"What d'you think?" Jimmy asked, when he eventually pulled away.

Thomas let out a breath; it was suddenly very hot in there. "Sounds all right to me."


End file.
